Rite of Redemption (Acceptance Book 3)

by Sarah Negovetich

  “Just a few more minutes, and I promise I’ll be in bed.” John David stares at a Noteboard on his desk and doesn’t even look up at our entrance.

  “I stopped believing that two hours ago. Looks like you aren’t the only one who can’t sleep tonight.”

  John David lifts his head up from the Noteboard and notices Daniel and me for the first time.

  “I’ll put on a pot of tea and see if there is anything I can scrounge up from the kitchen.” The woman walks out, leaving Daniel and I standing awkwardly right inside the door.

  “My wife,” John David says, gesturing to the empty door. “I would have starved to death years ago if not for her.” He pulls a few chairs over to his desk and sits back down. “I see you got back in one piece. Now, what is so important that you’re here instead of in bed?”

  “I need to know what the plan is.”

  John David turns back to the Noteboard on his desk. “It’s my job to analyze every potential possibility and plan for our survival. This isn’t your concern.”

  “Did I miss something?” Daniel’s voice is coarse, and his shoulders lift with tension. “Didn’t Rebecca just fly down to Mexico and set up a highly dangerous meeting with their president? Her face is more popular than the Cardinal’s these days. How can you say this isn’t her concern?”

  “Please don’t mistake me.” John David lifts his hands in mock surrender. “I’m not suggesting that Rebecca, or anyone, shouldn’t be worried about what’s going to happen over the next few days. Simply that a teenaged girl with no leadership experience isn’t the one best suited to make decisions about our next course of action. I appreciate your help so far, but your job was to get us access to Mexico. A popular face, as you so eloquently put it. No one expects you to step into an actual leadership role.”

  I bite my tongue to keep from throwing accusations at him. I don’t have any proof that he plans to undermine our efforts. And it’s clear he’s going to paint me as some ignorant girl. Besides, there’s no one here to tell. Best to bide my time and learn what I can. “So what would you have me do?”

  John David reaches out a hand to rest on mine, but I pull out of his reach. “You’ve fulfilled your role. The other villages are all on board to join forces against the Cardinal. Updates from the resistance in MidWest suggests that groups in the other Territories are ready for action.” He leans back and flashes me a smile. “You’ve been a huge help to our efforts here. There’s nothing more for you to do except wait with everyone else.”

  His wife comes back in carrying a tray of tea cups and a few apple slices. She hands each of us a cup while we sit and stare at each other, saying nothing while she serves us and leaves.

  I take a tiny sip of my tea. “What are you going to do about President Tiroso?”

  “Nothing.”

  “But if Danforth is right, President Tiroso intends to take over. Are you just going to let him?”

  “Better the monster you know.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “We’ve been keeping our eye on President Tiroso for quite a while. We know his likely military moves and can predict what he’ll do with the Machine. Trust me when I say that his particular brand of governance is a significant improvement over the Cardinal.”

  I stand and ignore Daniel’s efforts to pull me back down. “But he wants to use the Machine.”

  “Rebecca, let me ask you a question.” John David takes a sip of his tea, drawing out the moment. “How old are you? Seventeen? Eighteen?”

  “Seventeen. My birthday is in December.”

  He waves his hand as if the answer isn’t really important. “Fine, yes. Listen, the other village leaders are grateful that you have risked so much to bring us all this warning. But that is all. No one is going to hand you the reigns. Drink your tea, go get some sleep, and trust us to see this to the end.”

  Trust him. A man who’s never lived in the Territories. Who’s never seen the PIT. Who doesn’t really understand what the Machine can do.

  Daniel reaches out and grabs my hand. Staying here is a waste of time. John David used me to get access to Tiroso, and now that he has it, I’m out. I need to get to the others and find out if John David is the only one planning to work with Tiroso or if this is everyone’s plan. What about Clarence and Oster? “If we can, I’d like to go back to the MidWest safe house. I have a friend there, and I think I could be helpful in keeping up morale.”

  John David turns back to his desk, nodding his head. “Yes, I think that’s a good idea. Go get some sleep, and you can leave in the morning.”

  I stand and set my cup back on the tray. We head back to the rider house where I’ll close my eyes and pretend to sleep, ignoring the niggling seed in my head that tells me I’ve spent the past month making everything worse.

  Twenty-Six

  I crouch behind a large bush and tuck every loose strand of blond hair up into the wool cap Oster brought out into the woods for me. Winter sits heavy in MidWest, and the sweater I’ve been using doesn’t cut it up here. My fingers are freezing, but the upside is all the winter layers make a perfect disguise.

  “You’re completely unrecognizable.” Oster nods at Daniel and me in approval. “Keep your head down and stay close, and we should be fine.”

  Oster leads us out of the woods and through a series of back streets and alleys at the edge of town. The buildings don’t seem as ominous as they did the last time we were here. Awash in bright winter sunlight, the rundown houses and shops are actually inviting.

  Daniel’s head swivels from one building to the next. As a council member, Phillip must have had a large house in the best part of the capital. If Cardinal City has a forgotten sector on the edge of town, it would be miles away from wherever Daniel grew up.

  We follow Oster to the back of a shabby building that’s identical to all the others and walk through the back door without knocking. Once again, we walk down a dark staircase before emerging into the large cellar room without windows.

  Clarence is waiting for us in the dimly lit room. “Rebecca, it’s so good to see you again. John David called to say you were coming so I popped out during my lunch break to make sure you made it safely.” He drops my hand and turns toward Daniel. “And you must be Phillip’s son. He talked about you and your sister non-stop. He was immensely proud of you.”

  Daniel nods and Clarence doesn’t push for more.

  “Sorry for the short notice, and thanks for letting us come up. I just couldn’t sit and wait down in Blue River.”

  “I understand completely, though I’m afraid there’s not much for you to do during the day. Maybe now would be a good time to get some sleep. Oster here has arranged to have some food sent over. We’ve been meeting every night since the last time you were here, so the others should start filtering in after dinner. The early sunset at this time of year is a bonus.”

  I tighten my grip on the bag I’ve been hauling all over the place these past several weeks. “Please don’t worry about us. We’ll stay out of trouble for now.”

  “Good then. I have to get back to work, but I’ll see both of you later tonight.”

  Clarence leaves and Oster follows him, promising food in a little bit.

  Daniel sits stiffly on one of the overused couches and pats the seat next to him. “Care to tell me why we’re really here?”

  I sit down and toss my bag at my feet. “I need to see how deep this goes. From what Eric told us, John David is going to let President Tiroso march in and take over, and nothing is going to get better. It’ll be the same corrupt system with a new face behind it. If it’s just him, maybe we can stop him.”

  “Rebecca, I’m not—”

  The ringing of my Noteboard cuts off whatever doubt Daniel is about to cast. At the touch of a button, the screen lights up and Constance and Thomas are staring back at me.

  “Oh, thank goodness.” The mama-to-be wipes at her tear-stained, puffy red eyes and offers us a watery smile.

  “C
onstance, you have no idea how good it is to see you.”

  “Sorry it took so long. Finding a Noteboard was harder than I thought. Thomas found this one in the trash. It has a cracked screen, but it works.”

  “Don’t apologize, but why are you crying? Did something happen?”

  “No, we’re fine, for now. But I’m worried. More and more Freemen are flooding into this village every day. The Cardinal is attacking villages north of us on a regular basis. We’ve been safe so far, but it’s only a matter of time before he finds us here.”

  “I don’t understand. Did everyone get the warning?”

  Constance just shakes her head back and forth. “They got it, but I don’t think they are taking it seriously. Even in this village, they’ve barely increased the patrols at all.”

  My heart sinks at the thought of Constance sitting up at night worrying about the Cardinal finding her and Thomas. So much for John David telling us everyone is on board. “I need you to hold out for a few more days. Maybe find somewhere in the village to hide out. Pretty soon the Cardinal is going to run out of time to hunt down Freemen villages, and you should be safe.”

  Unless President Tiroso decides that the Freemen villages have to go, too.

  “I’ll make sure Constance is safe, but I’m about to make my way to you.” Thomas wraps a protective arm around her shoulder. “Most of this village is clueless, but I’ve convinced a few that we need to fight back. We ride out first thing in the morning for the capital.”

  “We’ll be glad to have you, but be careful. Between the Cardinal guards and the vagrants, travel isn’t safe right now.”

  Constance’s eyes water up again. I hate that I’m responsible for adding extra stress to her life, but this is our reality right now.

  “We’ll stay out of trouble.” Thomas points a finger at me. “Just promise me you’re going to stay safe on your end, too.”

  “When have you known me to run into danger?”

  Constance smiles, though it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Only every opportunity you get. Daniel, I’m counting on you to keep everyone safe. This baby is going to need an aunt and uncle to spoil it rotten. Got it?”

  “I’ll keep both of us safe.” Daniel nods and it’s clear he means to keep his promise.

  “Okay, we need to go eat and finish getting Thomas ready for the trip.” Constance covers up a yawn. “Stay safe. I love you.”

  “Love you, too.” I wipe at happy tears as Constance signs off. Tossing the Noteboard to the side, I curl up onto my side and lean into Daniel’s welcoming arms.

  “No matter what, we have to keep them safe.”

  Daniel kisses the top of my head and smooths back my hair. “We’ll keep them all safe.”

  I close my eyes and let sleep take me, knowing we could never save them all.

  * * *

  Oster brings over some dinner, and we eat in a rush before the first of the arrivals tromps down the wooden staircase. I recognize several of the faces, though I can’t recall a single name. Everyone is excited to meet Daniel as well, and it isn’t long before we’re wrapped in a sea of activity.

  “Let me at her.” Cheryl’s exuberant voice lifts up over the crowd, and several people step aside to give her access.

  Thin arms wrap around my neck and hug tight enough to make it difficult to breath. I try to pull back, but Cheryl just clings tighter.

  “Nope, not yet. Not done making sure that you are in fact still alive and not lying in the middle of nowhere waiting for the Cardinal to find you.”

  The others walk away to give us some privacy. Cheryl finally releases her death grip on me, and then promptly slaps me on the shoulder. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again. I finally get you back and then you crash and get lost, and all they would tell us is that the Cardinal hadn’t found you, but no one had any idea how to find you either. Oh, hi, you must be Daniel.”

  Daniel can only nod with his mouth hanging open like a baby bird. After so many years of friendship, I forget what it’s like to meet Cheryl for the first time.

  I thread my arm through Daniel’s and give him a little squeeze. “Cheryl, let me introduce you to my husband, Daniel. Daniel, this is my very best friend in the whole world, Cheryl.”

  “Well, you are absolutely cuter than I thought you’d be.” She winks at him and looks around behind us. “Where’s the guy you had with you last time?”

  “Ethan decided to stay back in Blue River. Why? I thought you were too busy overthrowing the government.”

  “I am.” Cheryl flips her hair over her shoulder in a move that is so much like her mother I cringe. “I’m busy, not dead.”

  Clarence enters the room and shakes hands with the people closest to him. Even though this is what I came for, I suddenly want nothing to do with the rally about to happen. “Is there somewhere we can go to catch up?”

  Cheryl nods and pulls me around the group to a small back corner with a plain wooden door. Inside is a small storage room with racks of canned vegetables and some folding chairs. “It’s not exactly cozy, but no one will bother us in here.”

  I turn to face Daniel, and he nods without my having to say anything. “I’m going to stay out here and check out the meeting. You two should catch up without me.”

  Daniel shuts the door behind him, and Cheryl wastes no time pulling out two dusty chairs.

  “Sooooooo… Daniel’s cute.”

  “The world as we know it could end in two days, and you want to talk about how cute my husband is?”

  Cheryl smiles wide enough to make her eyes crinkle at the corners and plops down onto a chair. “Of course. If the world is going to end, now’s our only chance.”

  “Daniel is…complicated. He’s everything I ever thought I wanted.”

  “But…”

  “Everything changed. We’ve both been through so much, and we aren’t the same people we were when we said our vows.” Saying the words out loud physically hurts my chest.

  “Do you love him?”

  “Of course, but what if love isn’t enough?”

  “Rebecca.” Cheryl grabs my hands and squeezes until my skin turns white beneath her fingers. “Everything we’ve ever been taught our entire lives is a lie. A deranged lunatic is slaughtering villages, and there’s a bounty on your head. In a few days’ time, we could all be dead. Love has to be enough.”

  I squeeze her hands back and lean into her words, letting them wrap around me and soak into my bruised heart. Love has to be enough. If not, then what are we doing all of this for? “When did you get so wise in the ways of love?”

  “I should probably tell you I’m engaged.”

  “You’re what?”

  “Well, if we’re being technical, I’m engaged to be engaged since Mother won’t allow for anything official until after the Assignment. Which is funny since this whole thing was her idea to start with.”

  “Can we back up a bit? Who is this guy? Do I know him?”

  “Barton Malone.”

  “That guy always hanging around at the country club? I didn’t realize you saw him as husband material.”

  “I don’t, but don’t tell him that. He’s in the meeting.”

  I tilt my head to the side as if a new angle will help me to follow the conversation. “As in, he’s in the resistance, too.”

  “Yep.” Cheryl smooths the skirt of her dress as if this is a perfectly normal conversation about what sandwiches to serve at the next bridge game. “Bet our mothers didn’t see that coming when they kept pushing us together. It works though. They both think we’re sneaking out to see each other when we come to these meetings, so we have a built-in cover story. And when we take down the Cardinal, we’ll both move on with no hard feelings. So I’ll be free to make myself acquainted with Ethan.”

  I slide my chair over to hers and grab both her hands in mine. “You haven’t changed one bit.”

  “Are you kidding?” Cheryl pulls her hands from mine. “I know I’ve never been one to think too dee
ply about the world around me, but you changed that.”

  “Me?”

  “Wasn’t that the point of the stunt you pulled at the last Acceptance ceremony? To get people to see what’s going on? I had no idea, but you let me see just how wrong the system is.”

  “I’m not sure it’s going to make a difference.” I drop my head into my hands. “I’ve been trying so hard to find a way to keep everyone safe, but not everyone is on the same plan, and I don’t know who to trust anymore. We might end up trading one ruthless leader for another.”

  “That’s not going to happen, Rebecca.” Cheryl lifts my chin with a carefully manicured finger. “Look around you. Look at all the people out in that room. Do you think they are ever going to sit back again? Not everyone is going to get it. My mom. Your mom. They stand to lose too much. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, for every person out there like our moms, there are a dozen who would welcome change if only it was an option.”

  “Who do we know from the Territories not sitting in that room out there that would risk losing everything for the chance at something different?”

  “Are you kidding?” Cheryl jumps up from her seat and bounces on her toes the way she always used to. “Your dad for one. Stuck in a marriage with a woman who barely tolerates him and a job he can’t stand. My dad makes great money, but he comes home exhausted every night. He hates his job.”

  I lean back against the cool metal of the chair and let her words soak in. “So how did you end up here?”

  “After they sent you to the PIT, I didn’t have anyone to talk to. I spent a lot of time just sitting around at the country club with my mother.” She shrugs as if her loneliness didn’t matter. “People talk when they don’t think anyone is listening. I started hearing whispers from the staff of a resistance.”

  “So you just wandered the streets looking for people who might hate the Cardinal?”

  Cheryl laughs. “Kind of. The same day you hijacked the ceremony, I came over to this part of town for the first time. It took a couple of weeks of more nightly walks than my mother approved of, but finally I noticed a pattern of movement. The tip of a head, a sly wink that seemed to mean more. Eventually I worked up the courage to follow someone, and that’s when I found Clarence and the others.”